Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Ingredients

• 1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust (store-bought or homemade)
• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp ginger, 1/4 tsp cloves
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream, whipped, folded in after baking and cooling

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Fit the crust into a 9-inch pie dish and crimp the edges.
2. Whisk the filling ingredients together in a large bowl until smooth.
3. Pour the filling into the crust.
4. Bake for 35–40 minutes, until the edges are set and the center jiggles only slightly when the pan is nudged.
5. Cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate at least 2 hours before slicing.

The Tale of Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

Story updated September 19, 2026

Pumpkin pie has roots in colonial New England, where cooks stewed and baked pumpkin and squash in various ways. Canned pumpkin, sold commercially by Libby's starting in 1929, made the pie an easy year-round project. The chiffon style came later: Monroe Boston Strause, a Los Angeles baker, is credited with developing chiffon pie in 1926, lightening fillings with whipped egg whites and gelatin. Home cooks and food editors adapted that method to pumpkin, often in a graham cracker crust, as a lighter Thanksgiving alternative. No single date or cook is credited with the pumpkin chiffon adaptation.